Gettin' More Outa Ya Bullet

Job done

2011-12-11T13:12:00.001-08:00

Had 2 days off went to a dog show at the NEC , so today i went up to work to have a few hours on the trailer.
I got some mudguards off Ebay but they were not there so i finished off a bit welding and capped a few holes in the box section and laid on some primer....now what colour to do it????

Well it had to be "Bills Bullet" black silver and alloy!!

And this is it bizzy drying and waiting for my mudguards to arrive.
I will need the trailer to take it to the DVLA to say it has been changed back into a bike from a trike plus it is going to be handy for weekends away in the Lakes,fill the jeep full of camping gear and have the bike on the back.

OK for my next trick?

ready for paint

2011-12-08T15:01:00.001-08:00

GRIND WELD FAB GRIND WELD

Stop for the front wheel jams in just nice,gets a good hold

Had a couple of straps tieing it down but did not feel right,cant use straps on anything else for fear of damage! SO i had 2 spare holes in the engine mount drilled a couple of holes in the trailer and just bolted the soddin thing in! sorted

ramp made from some metal walkway we had lying around from a job

Going to try and get in tomorrow night and give it a lick of paint

appendix

2011-12-07T13:11:00.001-08:00

well am back,i needed something to tow the bike on.When i go away it is normally miles and have a couple of dogs with me,so a trailer was to be had.Cost a bloody fortune.Few phone calls and my mate gave me this

and here we are a couple of hours later.Out with mr makita and it was well bobbed.Try and get it finished tomorrow then i can get the bike away from work

Power up for a good yarking!!

2011-12-01T11:36:00.001-08:00

Well this is the last post before i hand the reins back to Mr Qmaster . Just had to fire the old girl up and give it a yarking , you know how it is test for bits falling off and how strong the chain etc etc.
So it is back to Brian and his Bullet Bobber.
Thank you for your time it has been fun doing the blog,till my next project.
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THE END

STOP THE CLOCK

2011-11-30T05:37:00.001-08:00

All done,job's a gudden

Tour

2011-11-27T11:58:00.001-08:00

A bit of a tour around

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!

2011-11-27T11:26:00.001-08:00

THUMP THUMP.....................

Time please

2011-11-27T11:22:00.001-08:00

ok lets get this sorted i need to hear it running

made an adaptor for the dial gauge,simples

Air

2011-11-27T05:40:00.001-08:00

outside to get a bit air around it

Can o worms

2011-11-27T05:34:00.001-08:00

Started on the wires,can of worms

Got hold of some black cloth tape i think it blended them in quite nice

Not to bad up front

Owch

2011-11-27T05:31:00.001-08:00

New sprocket arrived,bet Hitchcocks was thinking what the hell motor i am running

Fitting it did not go as to plan

Update

2011-11-16T15:29:00.001-08:00

Not a lot to see now as the bulk of the bike is together,few bits on the engine tonight,carb has been rejeted for filter and pipe.

Hard wired the headlight and moved if further down.

Got the primary side on but when i counted the teeth on the gearbox it was 16 i NEED a 20...damm damm damm...pull it off tomorrow i think the new one will be here

Rear guard

2011-11-14T12:08:00.001-08:00

Not much time today so only a few jobs done.Brake pedal needed a s/s spacer and a s/s spacer for the brake/silencer mount were made and fitted and i decided to bolt the rear guard on.

With me not using a front guard i had cables flopping around in the wind and 2 unused guard fixing points,i was going to chop them off but not sure of the internals of the forks i decided to use them for a bar to hold the cables and fill the 2 holes up.Up on the yoke the clutch and brake cables were flopping around so a couple of s/s P clips tied them up.On the other side of the fork is a smaller bar to hold the tax disc and fill the other 2 holes up.

So far so good

2011-11-13T13:14:00.001-08:00

This is the state of play as i left it tonight,not much more big stuff to go on now.Got to rejet the carb build up the clutch and pop the rear mudguard on then the wires.

Backend looks like it is coming to life

Legal bits need to go on like mirror

Tax disc holder

And silencer

OCC

2011-11-10T13:21:00.001-08:00

My gaffa is a big fan of Orange County Choppers,he said to me today Pauly would have the primary on by now,so to days job was to stick it on for him!!

Had a bit polish of the case as well and drained the oil out,i will get all the messy bits out of the way before i start bolting on the shiny stuff.Went around with my wee paint brush painting all the nuts under the bike black and a 2 touch ups were i scratched the engine.I was a bit worried how ruff the motor looked being black as the castings are very lumpy,but as bits go on you can not realy see much of the motor anyways.

Front end looks nice and simple even with the "i switch everything" switch.Need to find a home for the hooter.

Big Bloody Lump

2011-11-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

Got the Iron in tonight,not as bad to get in as it came out.

Off side,need to get to work with the polish on them there case's

Near side,still plenty to do here as well,got a load of bits to try and improve the clutch.

Front,rear and top stainless mounts with stainless nuts and bolts,keep the polishing work down to a min.

Rude not to

2011-11-06T14:31:00.000-08:00

Called into work tonight to see if the paint was hard and the tank sealer had gone off.Well i could not resist had to try it on the bike "would have been rude not to"

Need to get the engine in

The back and front mounting bolts for he tank

Wanted to do summit with the oil pipe,i got this idea off Mr Qmaster from his petrol pipes,this is woven heat shrink

The "Flipo-matick" 2000

2011-11-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

I find when it comes to painting tanks it is a pain in the ass,you have them balanced on an old thinner tins,you cant do the bottom right and they then to fall off...

well people here is the FLIPOMATICK 2000...

I drilled a bit 25mm box then mounted it on a plate passed a bolt thru the tank mount and 25mm box and gave the bottom a good lash of paint..

Then it is just a case of flipping it over on the stud then lash!!!!!

The end result one black tank untouched by human hands................

Sky Blue Pink

2011-11-04T16:10:00.000-07:00

No matter what i paint, bike or car,when it is in the primer stage i just wanna go nuts with colour and patterns.......blank canvas!!!!
Its had a good few layers and is just drying off for a day to get rid of any sink age or reactions,then give it a good wet and dry then lash some black on.

While i was waiting for the primer to go off i put a few bits on that were out of the way

And here is the lightweight carbon battery with the alloy clamp

Back in Black

2011-11-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Had the paint gun out tonight,time to lash some black on things

Engine got a coat as well

And the gearbox

Even had a bit polish between coats

I was not happy with a white battery stuck in the middle of the frame so i gave it to a pal of mine who had a load of carbon fibre 3M stuff.There you go the Bulllet Bobber has come into the 20century,and its black!!

Game on

2011-10-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Started putting the bike back together,put this brace in while i am doing the engine,last time i rebuilt it the frame moved,it was a sod to get the motor back in

I settled with these adjusters for the rear wheel

This is were most of the welding took place,tank mount/seat mount/ign key and the new frame

Front end bling

Rear end bling

Looking very black....

It would not be complete without the key fob...

Pick a card

2011-10-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

Called in at work today to get a bit paint on while the place was empty

Rear wheel done,just a bit paint on drum and sprocket then get it back in the frame so i can move it about

Frame with a layer of etch primer ready for primer

Primed and black slapped on

Did a few other bits as well with the paint left in the gun

Million bits

2011-10-28T11:20:00.000-07:00

Took the bike to bits today to finish off the welding on the frame and i think it is time to start thinking about paint

All ready for a rub down and a bit panel wipe then i can get some primer on it

Mr Qmaster mentioned the worst thing about the number plate is you keep tripping over it,it was the same with the trike,so i decided to hang it as far back as i could

I made a stand for the engine,going to be better to work on and paint

Brake

2011-10-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Been putting off doing the rear brake for reason,anyway had a spare hour tonight so i just got stuck into it,lump of 30mm x 8mm steel should do the job.Had to cut and bend the upkick and two little bends along the lenght of it to clear the engine and it fits just nice.The holes are the same size and space as the torque bar on the other side,i still need to find a home for the brake light switch then i think that is just about it,
Just need to pull the engine out again and turn the frame upside down to finish the welding off,fit the number plate a dry build then thats about it i think.

Coil

2011-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Had to make a clip to hold the coil,like this it looked massive but when i got the tank on you could not see it,temp mount the flasher unit , it just clears the tank may or may not leave it there.
Had a bit of a stock take tonight and there does not seem to be much left to do

Few more bits

2011-10-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

Got the stops welded in place and the two holes for the battery clamp,this wont move about now.

brake cable in place.

Hidden nicely with the silencer.

The foot side of the brake welded in place just need to make a lever now.

Was not sure how to fix the silencer,did not want more brakets welding to the frame so i made a small bar the same as the torsion bar for the brake and used the same lug to mount it,Turned out quite good as you can not see it.

And there we go all just about hidden.

Billy Bullet

2011-10-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Had a kwick search on Google and this is Billy Bullet,there's a thing!!!

Bling

2011-10-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

while i was at work this morning doing the brake i decided to make a few bling bits to tidy her up.

Before horrible pitted forks...................

And after,two ally shrouds to cover them up plus it makes them 10mm bigger diameter so adds a bit meat to the front end.

And this battery "holder downer" ,two 6mm studs will be welded into the fame and this ally cover/clamp will hold it in place.This is the front so the wires will be next to the frame were i hope to feed them thru.

Change of plan Again

2011-10-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

Decided to try a cable rear brake before i totally dismissed the idea,this is the easy bit.Clevis pin to hold the cable then thru the aduster and nicely hidden behind the exhaust when it goes on.

Made this pin to hold the brake paedal and lever,it will be fully welded in place.

A bracket to feed the cable to the lever.

The cable is fed thru a 3.5mm hole and underneath the lever are 4 5mm grub screws to hold the cable,i had it in a vice and could not shift the cable so looks like it has a good hold.

Last but not least the brake lever will be welded on joining to the levr at the back with a tube with 2 lead teflon bush.The cable flows around the bottom of the engine so you should not see it.Now to find a place for that horrible brake light switch.

Few bits of welding

2011-10-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here we have the team of welders on hand...seeing i can only use one!

ignition switch in place,sits here just nice and miss's my legs and i hope to feed the wires into the frame

Torsion bar for the brake in position,i don't think you will see much of it as the silencer will be in front of it.the position is so i can use the lever in the upright or down position depending on what i use for the brake,cable or rod?

Mock up of rear light and number plate in vertical position,a tube is welded to the rear of it which i will weld to the frame to run the wires thru.

Bloody hell man

2011-10-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Great start to the day Mr makita bit me.................

CNC a bracket for the ignition switch,hard to find somewhere to put it,the front looks ok but what to do with the wires out of the back of it?

Made the first number plate holder,this one is for a vertical plate and i will make a horizontal one try them both and see what i like the best

These came today,CNC chain adj for £4.99 and chain tensioner for £5.99.Not sure if i will use them but for that price you cant go wrong!!

More stop

2011-10-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have been putting off doing the rear brake cos i new it was going to be a pain in the ass.The enfield is on near side and the jap wheel is on off side...My mate sent me up some old hand brake cables to mess with,tossed a few ideas about but what ever it was going to look a mess so ive gone for a rod.How am i going to get it over other side?lever on top or bottom?how do i lock the drum up?
The bar in the top of the pik is my lock bar,i like the look of this this very light bobber look.
I am going to put the brake drum lever on top like the old british bike look.
The bar on the bottom pik is how i am going to get it across the frame and the lever is connected to the rear arm,This is going to bolt to the frame as i am going to weld the foot lever and the brake lever in place for safety,plus it a nightmare machining splines
Better work and look clean after all this

Stop....

2011-10-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I was sick of hitting the tank with the handle bars so the next step was to make this stop,can move the bars now with out putting more dints in the tank.

Well i have my Vincent look speedo on now,the drive is from the front wheel so i am limited to what i could use.

Lets see if i can get it off the clock............

Seat on

2011-10-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Made the spring brackets today for the seat,i had to extend the seat mountings forward 2" they had far to much angle in there original position

The seat looks a bit wide but it is nice to sit on,mounted the black box for the ignition in side the frame and you can just see the corner poking out,good job it is black.Going to have to make the tank stops tomorrow i keep hitting the tank with the bars.

Matching at last

2011-10-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

The new air filter arrived but it was the wrong size!!.....tuff it was going on so i had to turn this little bell mouth to take the play up.

There you go matching filters and a bit bling thrown in.

The seat arrived on friday but i did not like the size of the mounts,cut down the original and made 2 S/S ones for the frame,got to be an inch lower now.

I was humming and haring about the throttle and levers,in the end i went for original British type throttle and black levers,dunno why it just felt right for me.

Postman been again

2011-10-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Side stand,seat and exhaust arrived today so i had a little try together
angle of the exhaust and rear frame are spot on
that is the best i can do with the rear mudguard as the radius is too big,
i am away for the weekend so i shall ponder on what to do when i get back.

Not sure stage grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

2011-10-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

after a few hours i got the rear mudguard on and i don't like it,but going to leave it while see what its like with a few more bits on.

I was going to have 2 stays as per normal to steady it,but,made these cheeky little stays and the guard is solid,they mite blend in when i get the seat on and give the guard a floating look?

Handle bars arrived today,Vincents,now i need my speedo bang in the middle alar Vincent,trouble is the bars look so good i need a new throttle and levers!!!!

More finds for Mr Q masters shopping list

2011-10-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Trumpet Roadster (use the term roadster loosely)

BSA ????? with a caravan

Bits and Bobs

2011-10-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

Last thing i wanted was cables and wires all over the place,managed to get this switch with everything in it,so the only other switch i need is an ignition.

Battery is going to live in the usual place with the regulator above it,was not sure what to do with the reg,with it having fins and being a lump of ally i decided to make a feature of it and mount it on a S/S bracket.Blends in quite well with the fined bit of the bike (i hope).

Another view.I need to get an air filter the same shape as the breather.

Other end of the engine breather,needs a P clip yet to keep it in place.

Tank bolted in place now,top brace i made the other day and the S/S fuel line in place,fitted like a glove with plenty of room.

New sprocket arrived,i had to offset it by 16mm and make that ally spacer in front of it to use the original bolts(square heads)

Why???

2011-10-06T12:51:00.001-07:00

Trailer for Royal Enfield

Now available single wheel trailers for your Royal Enfield.
This versatile trailer come with tow hitch and mounting brackets ready to fit onto a Royal Enfield Bullet. The lights are wired but a plug of your choice has to be fitted.
Very easy to install, and very easy to tow, making camping/ shopping etc much easier

Price £725.00 including vat

Rub A Dub Dub

2011-10-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Not a lot to show today,the time has been spent removing the paint from the frame ready to pop the engine back in and wheels to sort out all the little brackets and holes.
i am not putting the two down tubes on so i made this plate to go in,ties the new frame with the old and a handy place to mount battery etc.

I did have a bit spare time today so i made this engine bare to replace the adj one on the bike,nice lump of S/S with the same centres as the one that came off so it should fit with the engine back in

Today at Rufforth

2011-10-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Matchbox anyone?

and one for Mr Qmaster

2011-09-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well the sun has been belting down in the UK,so put a holiday in for today and it was off for a ride on the old Yamaha,320 miles blasting around our motorways.....sooooo hot

More a case of frame off engine

2011-09-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

big lump of iron came out today to finish the welding on the frame

thats what i like to see,a team of welders bizzy as bees on my bike

thats better to weld underneath the frame

all welded up,just a tidy up with the air linisher and it will look like it was ment to be like that from the factory.Tomorow cut all the brackets off and burn the paint off the frame

a light light bracket

2011-09-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well i had to do some real work today so only had a few spare moments on the Bullet,grafted a lump of S/S i had around into a light bracket.Fit and forget this i should be doing as much as i can in stainless.

needed a few bits off FleaBay,the bloke only lives 5 mile away so an email to him and went thru tonight and got them,save on postage and not a bad price off him
throttle cable
clutch cable
decoke gasket set
gear rubber
electronic ignition
£52

And its off the jig

2011-09-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

need something better than a lump of wood to stop it falling over

head light on

Padock stand works a treat i made

Nearly off the jig

2011-09-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

just a little mess with the bike today,made some s/s spacers for the rear wheel to centre it,then i have to shave a bit off the hub to line the sprocket then its time to fit the tyre and get it rolling

tried the tank on to make sure it cleared the rocker covers,it is touching here but it will be mounted 1/2" further up

decided to make a paddock stand for when i am rolling it around,from what i can gather the bike will be stable on this

Back end build

2011-09-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

front top tube welded in place

back plate in place then remove mock SA and an attack with mr makita again,cut and bend bottom rails ready for weld

there we go,pop the rear wheel in place and it looks like a bloody chopper

chain side just needs 10mm skimming off the hub to line the chain up

brake side looking good plenty of room to mess with,going to try and use a rod for the brake instead of a cable

Bill

Black is the new chrome

2011-09-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

Front wheel in etch primer ready for lashings of 2k black

after lashings of 2k black

Black is the new chrome

Cut and thrust

2011-09-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

Whats that for then???

I see,handy for lifting an Enfield up onto a welding jig!!!

Its MAKITA time,back end gone in the blink of an eye...

Front end in jig,not going anywere this...

Back end in jig with false swinging arm to line things up...

Now comes the hard bit,bend 2 top rails and mill the back of them to sit in rear wheel hanger...

Not to bad even if i say so myself..

Plenty to weld to,i need to cover this section with a plate to mount the tank and a rubber insulator...

Top rails ready to weld in place...

Bill

FOR SALE

2011-09-15T13:52:00.000-07:00

ONE BOLT ON TRIKE FOR ENFIELD BULLET

SIX BOLTS AND ITS ON,KEEP ALL ORIGINAL BITS FROM YOUR BIKE.COMES WITH ELECTRICAL BOX AND EXHAUST

Bill

Here goes nowt

2011-09-14T15:19:00.001-07:00

LET THE FUN BEGIN.............

Tanks done

2011-09-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Underside of the tank fully welded and a coat of etch primer

New cap and filler welded in and a layer of bodge to see were i am at

Front of the oil/lekky tank with a screw on lid

The rear of the tank welded on,not sure to leave the welds showing for that backyard look or to smooth them off???

Bill

A couple of shots of the seat.

2011-09-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

State of play report

2011-09-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

After a bit of a bollocking from Bill and all the work he's putting in, thought it was best to give a bit of an update. Barry knocked up the battery tray that sits nicely in behind the gear box. Bolted through the engine plates by the rear frame bolts, it is stopped pivoting by a pin through the centre stand pivot hole.

The current state of play. The seat has come out a treat, apologies for not posting this when it first came back a few weeks ago. A new, well new to me, upholsterer about 5 miles away, great job and only took about three weeks.Probably going to run the rear muddie in a similar fashion, but may well get another guard.

Oil / Lekky tank

2011-09-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Decided to use the ally tank for the electrics to go in,pain in the ass stainless.So i have the main body now i need a lid.Chunk of ally in the mill and away we go

Machined a step all the way around to sit in the body,i will recess this for the ignition switch.

And there you go a perfect fit,not sure what to do on the other end,weld a plate in or anther cap,shall have to see what the access is like

Bill

Big hole in tank

2011-09-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

out with the grinder and cut a bloody big hole in the tank

then out with the tin snips to start filling it in

there we go just need to fine tune the shape ready to weld

nice

when you look at the side of the tank it should look like the original seam

Bill

Head scratch

2011-09-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

Not done much today just made a new front wheel spacer out of S/S to replace the steel one.I will be doing most of the hard to get to bits in stainless helps with the cleaning.Had a bit play with the pipe bender to get the curves right then a good hour working out the new tube positions and made a couple of brace tubes ready to go in the jig for welding

Looking Wheely Good

2011-09-06T12:31:00.000-07:00

The rear wheel mounted on a bar in the vice ready to rub down for paint,what a sod of job it is to do each spoke.Going to etch prime it then fit the tyre and new tube before i put the top coat on.This way any damage fitting the tyre can be sorted before the top coat goes on

One etch primed wheel ready for rubber

The other Tanktastic prob

2011-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Tried to get a petrol tap at Scorton for the Yamaha tank i will use on the Bullet,all i could see were on/off with no reserve.Looks like i will have to graft the Bullet tap onto the tank....

machine the Yam fitting

flip over and machine Bullet fitting and tap1/4 BSP

there we go all fits together

looks like it should live there

underside view,just needs dressing the welds flush

Next job will to find a petrol cap and weld in filler,seen one for a Harley only £11 the pair,should keep this a Budget Bobber Bullet

Tanktastic

2011-09-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

Not sure what to use for the oil/electric tank,round s/s or the square alloy.Both easy to mount and machine,i just need something to stuff all those horrible wires in.
I will de makeing one of each for when i am up to that stage and offer each one up.

Bill

Shop till i drop

2011-09-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

Scorton autojumble on Saturday,i saved over £50 on this lot and that's from EBAY prices....bargain

So Close....

2011-09-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

While at Rufforth Autojumble today spotted this,a pik and a phone call to a certain Mr Qmaster nearly had him reaching for his wallet.......

An idea....

2011-08-31T12:52:00.000-07:00

Could not stop thinking about this bloody wheel adjuster,snails?,washer and rod?,front of axle?,rear of axle?

Then i had an idea!!!!

on with autocad, find some alloy plate, programme the spare CNC and away we go

action shot of idea being transformed into reality

1/2 hour later my simple idea on the rear hanger is ready to try on,

this will do just the job of keeping the back and in line while the frame is being welded on

at the moment this gives me 7mm of adjustment per hole,the button head screw is m6 on 7mm centres but if i need less i can drill and tap another at 10.5mm from there which in turn will give me 3.5mm ... simples

Peek at the rear wheel

2011-08-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

The wheel I got was from a trail bike, and I told my mate that he could have the tyre off it. OK so mow I have to get it off,so I made a couple of tyre levers released the two grippy things and it came off!!

Last time I took one off I nearly lost a finger.The brake liner was thick with rust,must have been laying in water for ages so i needed a big lathe,just so happens we have a few lying around at work.

Took .020" off in 2 cuts and it cleaned up a treat.next job is to attack it with the air wire brush ready for etch primer.

I must start thinking about chain adjusters for it,probably use the snail cams if I can be bothered to order some, the hole is in the rear hanger for the pin.

Going for it

2011-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

After a few chats with the Q.Master and a blast on the super information highway defo going for another Enfield Bobber.First score was a rear wheel which i needed after throwing mine away,Scorton autojumble £20 off a SP370,bargain.

Next problem i need a rigid back end,i aint going to spend a fortune on this so i need to make as much as i can myself....

pinched piks off the net popped them into autocad and away we go

and here we are,my idea of the rear hangers,just so handy having a CNC Mill to play with...

Next prob,were does the wheel sit from the frame and how do i line things up...

made this,one end bolts were the swinging arm holes are and the two rear hangers sit on other end

this is it out of the welding jig.Made a jig for the height of the rear wheel and a jig for the front wheel.The idea is to weld the wheel jigs to the floor(metal)use a jack under the engine to get the correct posture ie vertical engine,then weld in the rear fame then cut away the mock swinging arm and unused original frame...hey presto...bobbed

Should be having a go at it during the week.

Billy

Time for a change

2011-08-25T12:46:00.000-07:00

you know how it is,

you get an idea in your head and before you know it out comes the hacksaw............

well it has happened again,

the old trike has done me proud the past 4 years but the metamorphose has began again......

watch this space..........

Billy

Back Wheel In And The General State Of Play

2011-07-01T08:36:00.001-07:00

Makin' a start on the Primary

2011-06-26T01:46:00.001-07:00

Got the Primary cases back from the polisher yesterday, just laid up on there at the moment, weeeelll you know how it is. Got a complete new 500 clutch to go in there along with a new primary chain, still need an alternator to button this side up completely.

The standard footrest rotated back on the hexagon bar and the standard brake pedal in position. Plenty of scope for improvement here, but nothing too complex or difficult to achieve by the looks of it.

Passing Gas

2011-06-16T14:13:00.001-07:00

Springing Banjos

2011-06-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

When I first started messing about with the seat base I was stuck for springs. The frame is set up for vertical eyes and the only springs that were about at the time were the more conventional parallel horizontal eye type. As a get by measure, two old pneumatic type banjos were used to roughly adapt what was available, you know how it is when you're gagging to fit something on. It was never intended that they stay on there, and two new springs were to be ordered from Alberta Springs with the bottom eyes formed in the vertical plane. The longer it sat around in this "knocked up" stylee, the more it grew on me, so the threaded ends have now been heli-coiled and the spring bases bolted down properly, probably still get some new stainless springs made, but now in the more usual format and the banjos are staying.

A Bit Of Light

2011-06-06T10:05:00.000-07:00

Started getting the back light sorted out over the weekend. The SPARTO lamp unit looks spot on, and will, even more so, when it's polished. Left a few holes in the stainless spacer to let the brass peep through. It's only clamped in position at the moment as I've got to convince myself that I'll get away with running it down there.
The seat base is at the powder coaters and is booked in with the upholsterer next week. Using a new bloke for the leather work, reasonably local and hearing nothing but good things about his work............we'll see.

Things are..................

2011-05-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

............. beginning to stir down the shed again! Well, as it goes I've been getting moaned at for lack of up dates and progress, fair call really, so things are getting on the move again.

Standing on it's own feet

2011-03-27T01:05:00.000-07:00

Fitted this Samrat stand from Hitchcock's the other day, went on like it was a Honda part. Listed at 15 quid, probably about 21 by the time it's in ya hand after Greedy Added Tax and post, it's still a bloody good bargain. The rear engine plates came in the same package, this means that a battery platform can now be figured out. Originally the thought was to come off of the four gearbox studs, but common sense prevailed and it was decided that it's best not to disturb them suckahs as they already have enough work to do. All the space seen in the picture will be available to house the battery so it shouldn't be too much of a problem sussing something out that will attach between the two plates.

A Bit Of Seat And Speedo Action

2011-03-20T04:06:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha, thought I'd forgotten about this........

2011-03-15T10:57:00.001-07:00

Well folks, it's happened, the motor is back from Andy Berry and stuffed back in the frame. Looking as good as anticipated, it should be more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Andy reckons on a genuine 20 brake at the back wheel, which don't sound a lot but it's reckoned that a good standard 500 puts out about 16 and it will weigh about 100 lbs less so there should be some grin factor involved.

Exhaust ......

2011-01-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

........something like that!

Look Familiar?

2011-01-07T23:34:00.001-08:00

Found this for sale in India, only ships in quantities of 10+, somehow looks strangely familiar to me! Even the photograph is pretty similar.

Heavens Above

2011-01-04T13:26:00.000-08:00

Coming at ya right out of the leftfield, what do you reckon to this then ??? I reckon is so different that it's great. Made by Sachs as a bit of a concept I think, but what a piece of kit.

Wheel Building

2010-12-27T05:27:00.001-08:00

With the festive activities pretty much over and done with, and a break in the Arctic conditions, I popped over and picked the wheels up. Pleased ? Well you could say that, they're looking as cool as the weather and twice as bright. The rims are Akront Morad and not Borranis, a shame in a way but the drive towards period originality in the custom world has pushed the price of original Borranis through the roof. These look the same and Akront were a big player back in the day, don't matter which they are they're still a bastard to clean. Wait for the holidays to finish now and get 'em rubbered up.

Off to the side

2010-12-22T07:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry chap's too cold to get down the shed so I offer up this for your delectation. From Heiwa in Japan, it knocks my socks off, can't find anything that I really dislike about it.
I reckon that Street Trackers and this, the Brat Style are the future of customising, because donor vehicles are available and they're still cheap, get in early.

A Bit Of An Update

2010-12-22T03:49:00.000-08:00

Andy Berry phoned up last night with a progress report on the motor. The hold up is the crank, when he stripped it to replace the floating bush with a roller big end the drive side flywheel had been galled where the crank pin had been pressed in during manufacture. This is now at Alpha bearings getting the two flywheels line bored to accept a new slightly larger pin. Otherwise everything else in and on the motor is ready to go back together. I'm not really fretting about this as it's got to be right, and from what Andy is saying it will be a joy both to look at and use.
So I'm afraid it's gonna be a little longer yet chaps.

Bloody Snow !!!!!!!

2010-12-19T10:07:00.000-08:00

The wheels are done, or so I'm told. Can't get over to pick 'em up due to the prevailing weather conditions. Ho Hum!

A Strange Affliction

2010-12-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

The Madras Marauder is my sole means of transport, and as such gets used in all weathers including the sub-Arctic conditions we are experiencing across Britain at the moment. Generally the Ol' Girl is fine, starting and running on demand on the coldest of mornings, and that hasn't changed. However, of late, after running for a mile or two it started to miss, well not really missing as the exhaust note still sounded about right, but there was a decided un-willingness to rev and a hesitation. So I checked the points, the plug all the normal shit but to no avail, still the same. Thoughts of big end failure started to sneak in, and wouldn't go away, although stopping and starting again when it was in this condition was not a problem and it certainly felt free and smooth enough on the kick-start.

I'm running a 180 Watt alternator with a solid state rectifier/regulator package, all bought from a well known aftermarket manufacturer of such things, and a 60/55 Watt Halogen headlight bulb. For the last six months it's been overcharging when running without lights, so I've been lights on man since then, no problem there, just a bit gay I suppose. I wondered if that was the cause of the new problem, although the ammeter showed a reasonably well balanced state of affairs, I'm not sure if the AC from the alternator was "getting through" the regulator and screwing with the ignition coil. As a quick and easy test I opened up one of the two alternator leads and inserted a switch in line. This allowed me to effectively remove the AC input from the system when the problem occurred, just to see if there was an effect.

An effect there certainly was, when the gremlin kicked in the switch was operated to isolate the alternator and the cure was immediate, back to smooth normal running. This brings another force to bear though, drawing about 6 Amps from a small battery is not a long term prospect. So with temperatures struggling to get up to freezing it was a fun filled ride to the salt mine this morning, groping around under the seat to hit the switch whilst wearing gloves, being a manual cut-out type of thing.
Problem found then, but not the cure as yet, because of the weather and Britain's refusal to concede that we live in Northern Europe, the postal service is all to cock. I mean, snow at Christmas who would ever of thought it ? I phoned Paul Goff today and he is going to get a rectifier/regulator in the post Special Delivery so hopefully it'll be here Monday and normal service can be resumed. Just a point here, Paul did not supply the original unit that has gone FUBAR so this is new ground we're covering here.

Yokohama everywhere

2010-12-14T06:11:00.000-08:00

The ripples from the Yokohama show spread far and wide nowadays, it is rapidly becoming the International show of the year. Came across this earlier from Stoop Motorcycles in Japan, now I ain't sure myself as to the aesthetics of it, but it does go to show that the Bullet is gaining a following within custom circles. A quick peak at their site reveals a novel approach to the hard tail conversion.

Up and coming over at Sideburn

2010-12-11T03:48:00.001-08:00

Gary and the boys over at Sideburn have been given/lent/donated a barely used EFi Bullet by official importers Watsonian Squire. They will, of course, not be leaving it as it is, Gary reckons that there are some radical alterations in the offing for this unsuspecting puppy. Judging by their previous projects it should be worth following, and it will be on here.
Not really sure what is available yet performance wise, although Hitchcock's are listing a Power Commander for them, so it could be ground breaking stuff.
Good luck chaps, you've got backing from this corner.

Feast Your Eyes On This

2010-12-05T23:56:00.000-08:00

I know, I know.............. it ain't an Enfield and it ain't by any stretch a Bobber. What it is though is a Ron Wood Racing 800 BMW (Funduro) Flat Track warrior. You've gotta be a hard ass chopper man not to appreciate this.
On reflection, it could be argued that it is the evolutionary offspring of a Bobber. Accepting the fact that in the early days bikes were stripped of the unnecessary weight to make them faster both on the street and the ovals, then this surely is a direct descendent of that ethos.

Rollin' On

2010-12-05T05:50:00.000-08:00

Took the opportunity to borrow the daughter's car this morning. Got the hubs, rims and spokes over to the wheel builder, also took the back wheel that I've had in the frame as an offset check. Means that the rolling chassis is no longer that, but I feel the inconvenience is worth it for a couple of weeks.

Flying Bullets

2010-12-04T13:33:00.000-08:00

This is where six hundred and twelve cubic centimetres will get you. Hitchcock's Twin Shock series scrambler, nipping along you would of thought.

Anybody fancy a winter project?

2010-12-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

Had an e-mail today with what could be the start of something good. Not for me, at the moment you understand, but if anybody is interested e-mail me or leave a comment. Here's a copy of the message;

1946 Model G 350 cc that needs finishing off, the engine and gearbox have been done the frame repainted wheels and hubs rebuilt and new tyres fitted, the headlamp repainted all the parts are with it to complete the restoration it comes with the original buff log book showing just one owner from new, the frame and engine show matching numbers, price is £1750,

It's not the bike pictured above, but that's what it should look like.
But there's a good foundation for a nice bike, no messing about waiting for a hardtail there. I'd be on it like a shot if I had the room and everything else in the queue was finished.

This is more like it.

2010-12-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

When the I first saw the front page of the new Kustom magazine JUNK my eye was immediately drawn to the bottom left. Sitting there in a little pane is this sweet looking Ariel Street Tracker, looking quite familiar in it's general demeanour. I mailed Billy Whizz, one of the main men behind the new magazine, to see if I could get a sneak preview of the bike. He kindly sent this unpublished page over so I/we could get a better look, well worth it as well in my opinion. Nice bike, nice bloke, this country is rapidly running out of decent folk and them's that are left should be supported. If anybody needs a Christmas present to themselves, their wives or the cat a sub to JUNK will fit the bill.

New Cistern Ornament

2010-12-01T11:59:00.000-08:00

This dropped through the door this morning, the 2011 Hitchcock's Soft Pornorama. The 2010 copy can now be replaced from it's position of honour on the cistern above the throne. Not really much new for the Classics other than the prices, lots of extra pages on EFI models and a section covering Amal carbs and bits in the back.
There is a new oil pressure relief valve been added, cuts in at 30 PSI and splices into the rocker feed line and diverts flow back into the tappet adjustment window.
Bound to be more in there on closer inspection, got a year to find out.

If ya get me drift!

2010-11-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Come on now people ya gotta admit it's got potential back there!

Steering Stop, Stopping The Steering.

2010-11-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

Got a bit carried away with the mudguard situation yesterday, realised today that there are no detail shots of the steering stop plate, mounted and doing it's stuff. Well here it is, in all it's stopping glory.

These are the bolt positions for the actual stops themselves, whether they remain as a couple of cap heads or not remains to be seen. Probably strength versus weight they are better than most things. Aesthetically, they look like, errr, cap head screws really, but still, they do have an engineery feel to 'em.

This part I'm really pleased with, the protruding threads are the bottom of two more M10 cap heads. If you open the picture up you will see that there is effectively zero clearance between the bolt and the plate, the holes were cut at 10 mm diameter dead size. The holes in the bottom of the yoke are bored 16 mm and the heads of the cap screws have been lightly skimmed back to 15.9 mm, the steering stem bolt hole is 12.2 mm for an M12 bolt. So less than 0.3mm (0.012") to play with anywhere, this will eradicate any movement of the plate in operation, that may work on the steering stem bolt. The whole thing went together without the thought of hammer, file or drill.
The post on "The Design Process" may of seemed long winded and over fussy, but the end justifies the means, and the job is most definitely a good 'un.

Now I Ain't So Sure

2010-11-28T00:53:00.000-08:00

Keep looking at the pictures I posted yesterday, and my eye is drawn to the front muddy every time. There's no mistaking that it's a lovely piece and beautifully hand crafted but is it right? It follows the contour of the tyre perfectly, it's the right length and in isolation it looks great. But it's not in isolation on the bike and I feel that it is not really in keeping with the overall look. I'm seriously considering contacting Al at Skeleton Chop Shop and going for a shorter version of what's on the back.
Any thoughts or comments greatly appreciated

Most Of The Bits Hangin' On There

2010-11-27T02:41:00.000-08:00

Toddy beat the seat base out of a bit of sheet metal and sent it down in the week, the man is certainly gifted as shown by his work on the Ironworks site. Trying to find something "off the shelf" had proved nigh on impossible, as everything seems to be Harley biased and far too long. The Biltwell seats are certainly lovely looking things, but at 13 1/2" long almost require pillion pegs. This base is, to my eye, proportionally correct for what's trying to be achieved here.

Ignoring the grease can "spring" and the pissed rear muddy, this is pretty much what the finished view will be from the back. The motor should be plainly visible out of the sides and definitely be a presence in the set up.

Here's the headlight mounted onto the steering stop plate extension, there will be a round spacer between the light and the plate to push it up a little. I'm a little undecided at the moment, the light looks almost too small in relation to the rest of the bike. Maybe by the time the cables and stuff are on there filling the gap behind it will look better.

Well this is pretty much how it's gonna look when it's all done,not really much more to get now. The wheels need to be built, that's the next step I guess, then the rear muddy can be finalised and fixed as can the front one. Once the rear guard is fixed, the seat can be mounted and the special custom grease tin can be sidelined. The tank position is about set, it's sitting on a piece of insulating foam that I got from, strangely enough Pipelagging.co.uk and it fits a treat, with an inch wall thickness it should keep them nasty vibes from wrecking the tank. Still pondering over the exhaust style, hi-level or swept back, probably best to wait 'til the motor's back before making that decision.

The Design Process

2010-11-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

When it's time to create a custom part to do a job, I usually find that a good idea takes about a week to filter it's way up through the crap and throwaway thoughts that initially come to mind. It's pretty safe to say that the first plan will not be, or even similar to, the finished article.
The part in question in this example is the steering stop. The Spartan Engineering yokes are designed for trials use, and as such are not supplied with any steering stops, or for that matter anywhere to mount any. It is a must have feature, as any work carried out mounting the tank can only be done safe in the knowledge that the forks will not, cannot suddenly swing onto full lock and clout the tank. I didn't want to drill the yokes so whatever was there had to be utilised.
The steering stem is held into the bottom yoke with an M12 bolt, which is obviously concentric with the arc of the turn of the forks, so that is a good fixing point for a plate to be attached. The next hurdle was sorting out a sturdy way of stopping the plate rotating around the single bolt, luckily Spartan bore two 16mm diameter holes in the underside of the yoke for lightness, ideal for two pegs to locate. As a bonus it was also possible to utilise the same bracket to mount the head light, again saving the need to drill, and a bracket that serves more than one function is always good.

The bracket was first drawn out by hand, just to get a feel for the overall look of the finished article.

It was then redrawn using a CAD package to the exact finished dimensions, and to get the various fillets and curves finalised.

After completion using the CAD system it was printed out onto self adhesive label stock at full size. This in turn was stuck to a piece of plastic card, and the holes drilled and the outer shape cut out using scissors, this makes for a strong template that can be handled and test fitted. Bolts were fitted into the holes and the assembly offered up beneath the bottom yoke. The two bolts shown in this picture are the actual steering stops.

Once it was established that everything was in order the CAD drawing was e-mailed to a sheet metal company and the part was laser cut from 5mm thick Mild Steel to the exact dimensions needed. Job's a good un as they say.

Hubs Back And Front Back

2010-11-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

When the two half width hubs originally arrived from India, I was never really convinced about the finish, it was certainly black enough, but the thickness of the paint did not seem to be much. The last thing that you want is for the hubs to be going rusty or the finish deteriorating after the wheels have been laced. Not really a lot you can do if that happens, short of stripping the wheel down and doing what should have been done in the first place.

I had ordered and received two flanged alloy rims and spoke sets from Hagon's, and Martin was all set to build the wheels up. I looked at the hubs again and decided that seeing as I'm not blessed with X-Ray vision or indeed specs, the paint had to go just to know what was on there.
Initially I attacked the hubs, well when I say attacked it was more a threat, with Nitromors the original paint capitulated without any effort at all. Revealing what seemed to be one coat of black lacquer straight onto the steel, a finish more akin to the black japanned wood screws that were once available.

I sprayed the cleaned hubs with a zinc galvanising spray followed by black acrylic, the problem was that it was too cold and probably too damp to get a decent finish and they came out almost grey, such was the bloom on the paint. Seeing as the weather outside will neither be warmer or drier for a few months yet, and the chances of doing them indoors was a non-starter, I laid them off to Pete. He runs a car repair and recovery service complete with spray booth, and he phosphated them before shooting them in 2 pack black. Certainly a better result than I could achieve at the height of an arid summer, so now it's a matter of whipping the bearings in and getting the hubs to Martin. Should be looking at a set of nice wheels pretty soon.

A Step Closer

2010-11-20T00:48:00.001-08:00

Well Holts were good to their word, when I ordered this tank they quoted 3 to 5 weeks and here it is. Basically a trials Ariel tank to suit an HT5, Tony has made it without the front fork indents normally seen on trials bike tanks. He's made a lovely job of it, and with a centre bolt fixing it's certainly going to be easy to mount.

The size may turn out to be a curse in the long run, but it will have the desired effect of making the motor visually dominate the bike, making it look like a big single.

It's a funny old world

2010-11-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

Seeing as nobody answered the call for a "D" shaped speedo, and to buy one costs a ton plus, and then the price of a rebuild! it was time to seek an alternative. Got this off of the Bay of Fools for what is a song in comparison. As you can see, it's New Old Stock, in the box and only showing test miles, result!. The odd thing is though, it came from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, so it was made in Cricklewood, North London, sent out to Malaysia and then back here and it still ended up costing half what a comparable unit would have cost from a UK supplier. Dunno?????? go figure